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Patton Oswalt: Making SERENITY’s WASH the “Anti-Han Solo”

By Zack Smith

Fans of Joss Whedon’s Firefly have gotten the chance to learn more about their favorite characters in Dark Horse’s Whedon-approved comics. This June, we’ll get to learn more about Serernity pilot Hoban “Wash” Washburne in Serenity: Float Out, a tale where the “leaf on the wind”’s friends come together to recall tales from his storied life.

Float Out’s script is by noted comedian, actor and genre fan Patton Oswalt (the art is by Patric Reynolds). Oswalt is quickly becoming a ubiquitous presence in film and TV; in addition to his star turn in the black comedy Big Fan, and his latest album, My Weakness is Strong, this past year has seen him do guest and recurring roles on Caprica, Dollhouse, The United States of Tara, Community, The Sarah Silverman Program, The Venture Brothers, Flight of the Conchords and more.

He’s also a major fan of comics and film who occasionally writes about his favorite works online, and hosts screenings and panels at such events as Comic-Con. Oswalt’s talked to Newsarama a few times in the past about his comic and TV work, and when he had a few minutes out of his busy schedule, he took some time to chat Float Out with us. Along the way, we also discussed his thoughts on comics and TV, and the evolving state of popular culture from someone with a unique perspective as a creator and fan.

As artist on the Eisner-winning Icon series Criminal, Sean Phillips has paid tribute to classic noir books and films with both his detailed, expressive artwork on the book’s main stories and his illustrations for the single-issue-only backup essays. But a recent DVD release has given him a chance to go back to the series’ roots – and help bring a legendary lost crime film to a wider audience.